Reuben Burdon Foster was born on April 4, 1994 in Roanoke, Alabama. His parents – Inita Berry Paige and Danny Foster – separated by divorcing when he was still very young; about 18 months. The separation was ugly, with his father (Danny Foster) having shot his mother (Inita Paige) as she carried him on her back. In 1996, Dany Foster was arrested and indicted by a grand jury before fleeing the state. He was later arrested and transferred to Randolph County, but managed to escape again. So he stayed away for sixteen years with a new identity in Miami, Florida. After being a fugitive for so long, Danny was caught again and brought back to Randolf County, Alabama to stand trial.
The star player started his high school education at Troup County High School where he played on the school football team so he was considered the top linebacker in his class. He continued with the team until his junior season when he announced his transfer to another school. One of the reasons he decided to change roles was because the team’s head coach was fired when it was discovered he had paid a football player to drop out of school to play for Troup. Reuben later finalized his transfer and moved forward to enroll in Auburn High School.
His record at Auburn High School was exceptional, and he participated in the 2013 All-American Under Armor game in which he also received defensive MVP honors. His football career was excellent, which earned him recognition as a four-star recruit by ESPN.
He had verbally committed to play for Auburn University but Reuben backtracked after the firing of head coach Gene Chizik and assistant Trooper Taylor. He had then formed a special bond with the coach and the school’s decision to fire the coach from the team made him change his mind. With a plethora of offers on the table for him, he opted to play for Alabama, despite Georgia’s chances of winning his signature.
